[by Jemima Kiss] From the the PMN Mobile User Experience conference in London last week:
On software interfaces, Geoff Kendall of Next Device said the user experience has been cluttered because new device features, content and data services have all been squeezed on to the same old user interface. That has contributed to a cluttered user experience to the point where most people aren’t even aware of most of the features on their phones. The user interface hasn’t caught up with that complex mix of features and services, and that is hampering the uptake of data services.
“Improving UI can solve that problem, but the focus has to be on consumers so that we turn that initial interest into a long-term relationship.” He used the example of the MySpace mobile site, now provided by Helio, and referred to comments from a disgruntled MySpace user on the long-winded process of posting images to a MySpace blog by mobile: send an MMS, open the phone’s WAP portal, create a new blog post and attach the image…
He said there’s some amount of inertia in the desktop world. “The default position has been that mobile is like a computer but shrunk down – and that doesn’t account for different types of usage.” He mentioned features like Quickshare but said those are very piecemeal.
“UI is the primary means by which we can cultivate a long-term relationship with the consumer.” He listed four ways of improving user experience: updates must be relevant, unobtrusive and instantly accessible; users must feel they are in control; users should only be charged when they decide to buy; and integration with other channels, which he said will raise percieved value. All this “needs significant investment in back-end infrastucture than MVNOs might not have. Everyone agrees we need to make this stuff better but who’s going to pay for it?”
This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.
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